Electrocardiography

A tracing is made from electrical impulses traveling through the heart, tracking the way the heart muscle reacts to the conduction system.

An electrical impulse is initiated at the sinoatrial node, passes through specialized neuromuscular fibers lying beneath the inner lining of the heart until it reaches the atrioventricular node; from there, it travels through the Bundle of His, into the bundle branches and the Purkinje fibers, stimulating ventricular contraction.

Changes in tracings are evaluated by comparing them to normal and/or baseline tracings; a physician can get information about areas of heart damage, both acute and chronic.